The former Otto Middle School campus on Lansing's Northside, future home of the AC3 Community Center
500 E. Thomas St · Lansing, MI
A Community Development Organization

Where a neighborhood
builds its own future.

The Advancement Corporation is transforming the historic Otto Middle School into AC3 — a 220,000-square-foot community resilience hub for Lansing's Northside, built on regeneration, equity, and shared opportunity.

Take the virtual tour → Explore the center
220K
Square feet of community space
100+
Classes & services planned year-round
3
Floors of classrooms, studios & offices
1MW
Of planned on-site solar power
Who we are

Rooted in Lansing. Built for everyone.

Founded in 2020, The Advancement Corporation is an independent, community-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit working to address the root causes of poverty and injustice — and to equip people with the tools, training, and support to thrive.

A standalone tax-exempt organization backed by hundreds of partners and thousands of neighbors across Mid-Michigan, we've built ramps and repaired homes, trained workers for in-demand careers, and helped families find stable footing. Now we're channeling that work into one place: a center the whole community can call its own.

Community-led

Programs designed with neighbors, for neighbors.

Regenerative

Clean energy and resilience that lasts generations.

For all ages

From childcare to senior wellness, everyone belongs.

Community members and trades volunteers clearing and restoring the grounds at the future AC3 Community Center Restoration in progress · Lansing Northside
From vacant to vital

A landmark, given back to its neighborhood.

For nearly a decade, the former Otto Middle School sat empty. We're bringing it back — not as it was, but as the Northside needs it to be: a hub where health, learning, work, and culture meet under one roof.

01

Repair & restore

A core crew of plumbers, electricians, painters, and contractors brings the building up to code, phase by phase.

02

Reimagine the space

Classrooms become clinics, studios, makerspaces and offices — diverse, innovative uses of every wing.

03

Power it cleanly

Over a megawatt of planned solar plus a microgrid for energy resilience and emergency backup.

04

Sustain through partnership

Leases, programming, and shared services keep the doors open and the calendar full for decades.

A community gathering filling the AC3 auditorium The auditorium · seats nearly 1,400
AC3 · Advancement Corporation Community Center

One roof. Endless possibility.

There are currently no medical or mental-health clinics, food-service programs, or education hubs in this part of Lansing. AC3 changes that.

Inside these walls: an indoor pool and gymnasium, a nearly 1,400-seat auditorium and stage, a commercial kitchen, a childcare suite, medical and mental-health clinics, music and dance studios, makerspaces, urban gardens, and office suites for nonprofits and startups — plus a planned domestic-violence shelter and family services wing.

Walk through every space →
What happens here

Programs that meet real needs.

More than 100 classes and services, year-round, for every neighbor and every season of life.

Careers

Workforce & Green Jobs Training

Hands-on training in construction, IT & cybersecurity, aviation mechanics, and solar — with certifications and direct employer connections.

Wellness

Health & Mental-Health Clinics

Primary care and behavioral-health services that honor the experiences, histories, and cultures of the people they serve.

Youth

Childcare, Tutoring & STEM

After-school and summer programs, a childcare suite, gifted & talented enrichment, and STEM learning for the next generation.

Sustainability

Urban Agriculture & Gardens

Community gardens, solar-powered aquaponics, and food-security programs bringing fresh food to a service desert.

Culture

Arts, Music & Dance

Studios, a band room, gallery space, and a full auditorium & stage for performances, festivals, and community celebrations.

Seniors

Senior Fitness & Wellness

Recreation, aquatics, gentle fitness, and gathering space — including a senior discovery group meeting over good coffee and great conversation.

The vision, in our words

We exist to lift up marginalized communities through inclusive programs, clean energy, green-job training, and shared resources — building a place where underserved neighborhoods can thrive environmentally, socially, and economically.

Derrick Knox, Jr. Founder, President & Chairperson · The Advancement Corporation
Community voices

Lansing is ready for this.

Leaders, educators, and organizers across Greater Lansing on what AC3 means for the Northside.

"

Having one space that nurtures cross-cultural collaboration would not only heal our communities from past traumas — it would let us build a stronger community together.

J. Estrella Torrez, Ph.D.Associate Professor, RCAH · Michigan State University
"

This center exists beyond simply being an act of goodwill — it's an adhesive that will bind our community together for the sake of improving the human condition.

Dr. Terence D. GipsonProfessor of Health Policy · St. John Fisher College
"

We need a space — we deserve a space — to continue the work that is so often unrecognized but essential to the well-being of our community.

Marisol GarciaOrganizing Leader · Voces de la Comunidad
Aerial view of the AC3 campus
Find your place at AC3

Lease a space. Power a mission.

Sixty-five percent of the center's operating costs are covered by organizations that call AC3 home. Move your nonprofit, startup, or small business into a building that works as hard as you do.

Browse available spaces → Take the virtual tour
Get involved

Three ways to build with us.

This is a community center in the truest sense — it rises because neighbors, partners, and supporters show up. Here's how you can.

Volunteer

Join restoration days, mentor a trainee, or lend your trade. Every hour moves a wing closer to opening.

Donate

Donations, fundraisers, and grants fund the programs that fill these rooms. Give once, or become a sustaining partner.

Partner or lease

Bring your organization's services to the Northside and help keep the lights on for everyone.

Reach out to our team →
Volunteers and trades professionals working together on the AC3 groundsBuilt by the community, for the community
Visit · Connect · Belong

Come see what we're building.

Questions about programs, leasing, partnerships, or volunteering? We'd love to hear from you.

AC3 Community Center
500 E. Thomas St, Lansing, MI 48906
Mailing & Administration
1140 Abbott Rd, Unit 4553, East Lansing, MI 48823
Online
advancementcorp.org